Bossy Bully: A Sweet Billionaire Boss Romance (Sweet Bossy Millionaires Book 1) Read online

  Our food arrives and I find myself watching Lora’s expressions as her meal is set before her. She’s excited and trying to hold it back. But the pink flush on her cheeks and the absolute glow in her eyes give it away. Setting her napkin on her lap, she waits until my mother starts eating before she follows suit. I assume she’s never had genuine French cuisine before and it’s fascinating to observe her savoring it.

  “So, Jett.” My cousin Marcus’ voice pulls me away from Lora. I realize then that I’d been staring at her. “Will we be seeing you in LA?”

  He’s bringing out the guns already. “Yes.”

  “Good. Word is that Al Karebe is considering a secondary development on the other side of the island. There could be multiple jobs awarded, so bring your A-game.”

  He winks. Is he joking with me, or antagonizing me?

  I take a quick bite of lamb. “Yes, please remind your family how you’re bidding against us and not with us. Remind us again how you split from my father’s company and started your own by piggybacking on what you’d learned from my father’s hard work and dedication, and are now scrambling to attempt to build a name for yourself. No A-game is needed, at least, not from me. You; however, are going to need—”

  “Pardon me for not being familiar with this quite yet. I only started yesterday.” Lora interjects with fluid ease. “But, does Al Karebe own a development firm, or is he a landowner looking to sell?”

  Everyone at the table stares at Lora and my heart begins to race. Marcus drags his gaze back to me, before turning his attention to his meal while he answers. “He owns highly marketable properties all over the world. Right now, Morocco is in a rapid growth phase in the luxury market and he’s eager to move what he has for development. He’s sitting on potential millions if he sells to the right developer.”

  “What an amazing problem to have.” Lora’s voice is light with a side of humor, and everyone laughs a bit. Everyone but me. “Mr. Caldor was telling me the meet and greet in LA will be quite the big deal.”

  “Don’t be fooled,” I hear myself say. “It’s nothing more than a polite blood bath with a side of escargot soaked in thousand-dollar champagne.”

  She doesn’t miss a beat. “Then remind me to bring a change of clothes and my appetite.”

  There’s a low chuckle from the table again and the mood lightens, conversation resuming like nothing had happened. Lora grabs trades my full wine glass for her empty one, and drains half of it. I find myself relaxing, even though the fatigue is still there. Dessert is served and Lora looks very pleased. I watch her take small bites of her cheesecake and it makes me feel… oddly good… to see her enjoy something so simple.

  “Jett, the boys are interested in purchasing Red Raven for their new offices.”

  Fire wells inside me, hot and hard. I glare at my mother. She waves a hand. “I know you’ve been sitting on that property for a while now. It’s time to sell, don’t you think?”

  “So, your true intentions for this meeting come out.” I wipe my mouth with my napkin and set it beside my plate.

  “No, but it is something we’d hoped to discuss.”

  I lock eyes with Margaret, wondering how she could have forgotten our conversation about Red Raven. She knows the true purpose of that building. She knows what was in my heart when I was finally able to confess to her. It took me months, and hours of my therapist’s help to rewire my brain enough to let the words out. How could she have forgotten?

  “There is no price that any of you could possibly meet.”

  Marcus looks annoyed. “Name it. Name the price.”

  “What’s a life worth?” The words fly from my lips. “You figure out what a human life is worth, and we’ll talk.”

  I reach for Lora’s hand as I stand. It’s completely unintentional, but her fingers close over my wrist and she’s right beside me as I push away from the table and leave. We drive in silence to her house and I appreciate that she doesn’t feel the need to fill the space with empty talk. She did well for me tonight, redirecting when my mouth would have driven things out of control.

  We pull up to her curb and the driver opens her door.

  “Lora,” I call as she slides out. She pauses and looks back at me. “I didn’t say that you look nice tonight because that wasn’t the truth.”

  She ponders this and gets out. “Ah, okay.”

  “You look beautiful.”

  She bends down a little to look in at me, her expression clearly wondering if I’ve lost my mind. She gives a little nod and then she’s gone, and I consider that maybe I have.

  Chapter Six: Lora

  What’s a life worth?

  I replay that question over and over in my mind. It’s been four days since the dinner, and I can’t stop thinking about it. Jett has been distant since then, keeping to his office and sending me texts or emails when he wants something. I’m pretty sure I saw him napping while he was in his chair, looking out the window. Either that, or he was ignoring me when I came into his office to grab a file. He wasn’t at the staff meeting this morning, and I can’t say I’ve seen him eat anything all week.

  It’s nearing the end of the workday and I’ve read up on everyone I could find who will be attending the party in LA. I’d like to ask Jett questions about his cousin’s business, but I sense it’s best not to go there. I’m an assistant, not a therapist, nor do I want to be his therapist. Gosh, I don’t envy anyone that job.

  “I said no.”

  Jett’s voice is clear through my office wall. Goosebumps go down my arms at his tone. There’s another voice, weaker and harder to hear.

  “Your personal circumstances are none of my concern. Your being absent from your job is my concern because it affects my bottom line. You’re the new head of acquisitions and I need you here.”

  “It’s surgery, Mr. Calder. How can you not approve leave for my wife’s surgery?”

  I burst out of my seat and head to Jett’s office, not bothering to knock as I let myself in. Bruce has his hands on his hips, fingers clenched into fists. Jett has his back to us while he looks out his window.

  I easy myself into the conversation. “What can I help with?”

  “Nothing, you’re excused.”

  Bruce scoffs and looks to the ceiling.

  Jett shoves his hands in his pockets. “I said you’re excused, Lora.”

  “He denied my request for a week’s worth of leave because my wife is having surgery to prevent cancer from spreading through her entire body.”

  My heart falls. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”

  “Your request falls in the middle of two important negotiations. It will be detrimental for you to take time off right now.”

  “It’s my wife.”

  Jett turns, his expression neutral. “It’s my company.”

  “Fine,” Bruce jabs a finger in the air. “You can take your company and shove it up your—”

  “What’s a life worth?”

  Both men look at me, but I feel my boss’ gaze the most potently. He’s unable or unwilling to consider how Bruce feels about this, or even recognize his desperation over what his wife is going through. How can anyone not see the emotions in others? How can anyone be so blind?

  “What did you say?” Jett turns to be fully.

  I raise my chin. “I asked you what a life is worth, Mr. Caldor? It seems to be a popular question. To Bruce, his wife’s life is worth enough that he’ll quit this job in order to be by her side. To you, this company is your life, and Bruce’s contribution is valuable. So, make a compromise. How can both of you get save what you love the most?”

  I’m curious how he’s going to react to me using his line against him. Maybe not against him, but to trigger pause and thought. Maybe, to disrupt his inability to filter himself. His eyes narrow and his lips twitch.

  “You’re excused, Lora. Walk out of that door right now or you’re fired.”

  Backfired.

  Bruce straightens. “I’d like her to stay. Y
ou’re only reasonable when she’s around.”

  I hitch an eyebrow. Really? I’ve been here too short of a time to tell if we’re making any progress, but if other people are seeing it, then maybe he is cooling his jets a little bit. My phone goes off just then, loud and proud. I cringe. It’s Justin’s ringtone. Fumbling, I turn the volume down and ignore the call until it goes to voicemail.

  I haven’t properly thanked him for taking my Papa to his cardiology appointment. I’ve been avoiding it, but I suppose the thank you text message I sent was really a cop out. Thankfully, the appointment went well, and Papa’s recovery is going better than expected so I shouldn’t need to lean on Justin for anything else. He texted back to ask if I got the job for the interview I lied and said I was at. I replied that we’d talk later… and have been ignoring his texts ever since.

  “I’m sorry about that.” I cross my hands in front of me.

  Jett closes his eyes and I notice, not for the first time, how tired he appears. He’s handsome as ever, but fatigue is etched like a permanent feature on his face lately. He gestures at me to come over to him, so I do and suddenly we’re both looking out the window and our heads are bent together as if we have a big secret.

  “Helen quit because her dog died, and I demanded she come to work instead of taking a bereavement day.”

  I cringe again. “That’s unfortunate.”

  “It was a dog.”

  “Yes, but some people love their dogs more than people. For instance, Bucky is my baby and if he were to die, I would grieve and mourn him just as I would a person that I love.”

  He nods. “Nothing I said encouraged her to come back.”

  I don’t blame her. “Because you’d offended her too badly by not being sympathetic to her feelings.”

  Cars go by far below us and I see why he likes to look out. It’s mesmerizing to watch the traffic and slightly to the right, the ocean waves as they reach in and out of the beach.

  “I’m not sympathetic or empathetic.”

  He says it almost robotically, as if he’s either been told this on repeat, or he’s otherwise come to believe it. I touch his arm lightly. “Then, let’s do it together.”

  We turn at the same time and Bruce looks us over curiously. I’m sure he wasn’t expecting a pow-wow in the middle of this heated conversation. Either was I, but I am glad that Jett recognized he needed it.

  “We’re very sorry about your wife,” I say with a glance at Jett. He pauses, then nods in agreement. “TerraLuxe supports its employees because this company can’t run without you. You’ve been an employee for how long?”

  “Ten years.”

  “Ten years.” I look up at Jett. “Ten years is a long time to be loyal to a company and of course, Mr. Calder wants to show his gratitude for that.”

  I pause and quietly clear my throat, nudging my boss along. Jett crosses his arms and I notice how the fabric pulls against his strong biceps. “Have a meeting with Curtis tomorrow and show him where you’re at with both clients. Call in everyday to touch base with him until you get back. I expect at least one call a day. We can’t lose these clients. I have too much riding on this.”

  Bruce works his jaw but looks less aggravated. “Fine.”

  Jett signs a paper on his desk and hands it back to Bruce. “Take these back to HR.”

  “And good luck to your wife,” I say quickly.

  The office goes suddenly still as Bruce leaves. Little shivers work up the back of my neck as if a storm is coming and I should scramble to prepare. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I ignore it. But Jett must hear it.

  “I hope you understand that going to LA is non-negotiable. There will be no emergencies, no family things, no excuses that keep you from going. You are completely committed, as am I. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir.” My phone keeps rining.

  “For God’s sake, take the call. In your own office.”

  “Yes, Sir.” I spin to leave.

  “Lora.”

  “Yes?”

  Jett raps his knuckles on the desk once before running his hand through his hair. “Don’t ever use my words against me again. You had no idea what the hell you were talking about when you threw them at me. Never again.”

  “I was only trying to get you to think about things from Bruce’s point of view.”

  He points to the door. “Never. Again.”

  I don’t respond as I hurry from his office and shut the door behind me. My pulse is flying when I return to my own space and shut my door, too. Every interaction with him leaves me feeling breathless, as if I can’t get enough air by the time we’re done. How has he managed to interact with people up to this point? It’s a miracle that his entire staff hasn’t ditched him and moved on to another company. Moving to my desk, I distract myself by checking my texts for a daily update from the puppy daycare where Bucky goes now. The staff sends a picture each morning, and it’s a silly little thing, but it makes me feel better to see my fur baby having fun while I’m managing an impossible man all day long.

  I scroll through social media for a minute. Check my email. Look at the picture of Bucky again.

  Finally, with a sigh, I call Justin.

  He picks up on the first ring. “Where’ve you been, Lora? I haven’t heard from you in like, four days.”

  I don’t even know what to say. “I’m sorry. I’ve been busy.” Man, what a lame thing to say. “How are you?”

  “Fine.” His voice is terse. “So, what’s up on the job front?”

  “Well, I actually, I took a job with TerraLuxe.” I put a fist to my mouth and wait for his reaction. Silence. Dead. Silence. “Justin? Are you there?”

  “I’m confused. I thought you said they didn’t hire you.”

  “Right. Another opportunity came up and I was hired.”

  He groans and I imagine he’s shaking his head and rubbing his temples like he always does when I stress him out. “What kind of position did they offer you? Janitor?”

  Ouch! “Why would you say that?”

  “Because you’re not qualified for anything, Lora! Seriously, that place’s reputation is going in the toilet, people are quitting left and right, yet you jump right into the dumpster fire because they threw some scrap of a job your way.”

  My face is getting hot, my scalp tingling. “You’re not being very supportive.”

  “Yeah, well you didn’t call me back for four days. So.”

  There it is, the intersection I hoped I wouldn’t find myself on. Turn one way, kiss and make up. Turn the other, call the relationship to an end. We’re both right there in the middle. I could tell him about the huge salary and great benefits and the opportunity to travel but he wouldn’t care. He can’t see past the fact that I turned down a job working for his family and it’s a big reason we’re here right now.

  He sighs again, but his voice is lighter. “Where are we going with this? What are we even doing?”

  I don’t respond because I have no idea what to say. One foot is inching to the left, the other to the right.

  “Look, Lora, can we meet tonight at Origin and talk over a drink?”

  Origin is where we met. It’s one of the swankiest nightclubs in Miami with the best whiskey bar in the state. I loved going there with my friends before I met him, and after when it became somewhere even more special. If we break up, I’m not sure I’ll be able to go there ever again.

  “Okay. Eight o’clock?”

  He agrees and hangs up before I can think of anything else to say. The conversation leaves me feeling empty and tired and I have the urge to just go home and hang with my dog. I have three hours to decide which way I want to turn.

  I head to the doggy daycare and love on Bucky. It makes me feel immediately better. We go home and I check on Papa, who looks amazingly well today. The gray hue is gone from his face and his movements display more strength than I’ve seen in months. Now that I’m gone to work all day, I see him from a new perspective. Maybe he’s been looking stro
nger a little bit each day, but I’ve been too close to him to notice. We have supper together and he cleans his plate, another small thing that makes me feel good. I’ve only been at TerraLuxe for a week, yet I feel like my home life has changed in that short amount of time. I’m not sure if it’s good or bad. Just, different.

  I slip into a little black dress, four-inch heels and let my hair down. It’s a mess of soft and tight curls and I don’t try to do much with it aside from some curl relaxing spray followed by low heat on the diffuser. It smooths the strands, but not a lot. Slicking on some red lip gloss, and liquid liner to make a perfect cat’s eye, I leave it at that. My cleavage is showing. My calves look killer in these heels. My skin is naturally peaches and cream and I’ve been blessed with a flawless complexion, so I don’t require much makeup.

  If Justin and I break up tonight, at least I’ll look dang good in the process.

  I take an Uber to Origin and wait twenty minutes just to get in the door. By the time I’m admitted, it’s nearly eight. I order a whiskey sour with four cherries and find a seat in the back. Texting Justin my location in the club, I settle in and wait. Wait to make up my mind. Wait to hear what he has to say. Wait to know if my soul will stop hurting by the time this night is through.

  The club fills quickly as I sip my drink, music pumping through the walls from the dancefloor in the next room. People filter in and out between the dance floor and the bar and soon, it’s standing room only. I’m all but swallowed up in my little café seat, but I don’t mind as I people-watch and finish my drink. A waitress comes around and I order another, losing track of time before I realize I’ve finished that one, too and it’s a quarter after nine.

  I check my phone. No texts, no missed calls. What the heck? I call Justin’s number. It’s so loud, that it’s hard to hear as the phone rings and goes to voicemail. A little worried now, I send him a text and flag down the waitress for another drink, but she doesn’t see me. Frustrated, I stand and come face-to-face with a man in a beautiful suit. His back is to me, broad shoulders and tapering figure with a narrow waist and long, long legs. His dark hair is perfectly cut, dark brown with a hint of curl on top. My pulse picks up as he takes a step back and enters my space.